Left Behind, Not Forgotten
by Deliwiel
Summary: This is a 2016 reboot story! A mission goes awry, leaving one of the team members in enemy hands. Can the others find them before it's too late? Rated T for whump and because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey howdy hey! First off, can I just say that I was a little wary of the reboot, but I think they're doing an AMAZING job! I love how they've changed it just enough that it's different, but they're keeping the heart of the show the same as the original! Ha, I always got made fun of because the original MacGyver ended before I was even born, and now I'm in college and everyone thinks I'm crazy when they see I have all 7 seasons on DVD... Who cares though?! XD**_

 _ **Anyway, for those of you who watched the original MacGyver, there is something in this chapter that is from the original series. Spot it?**_

 _ **I have no beta, and I tried to catch any mistakes, but no one is perfect so if you see any mistakes, apologies!**_

 _ **These characters (sadly) do not belong to me. So...no suing.**_

A shower of bullets rained around them as MacGyver and Jack crouched behind a desk. Mac peeked around as the hail of bullets stopped, and he saw the shooters creeping closer and closer. He looked around the shack they had been cornered in, finding things he could use to deter their "friends." He mentally checked the items off his list as he spotted them.

" _Magazine… fertilizer...starting fluid... and…"_ His eyes landed on the metal folded chair with a padded back. " _Bingo."_ He pulled out his swiss army knife, then turned to Jack. "Cover me!" he urged. He then stood up in a crouch, keeping as low to the ground as he could so he wouldn't be such an easy target.

He sliced the padding on the seat back, pulling out the cottony substance inside. He then hurried and grabbed the rest of the materials he had spotted, also grabbing a roll of what looked like electrical tape. Ripping out a few pages of the magazine, he laid them flat on a workbench and poured the fertilizer in. He then took the starter fluid and sprayed the chair stuffing with the contents of the aerosol can. After that he laid the soaked padding on the fertilizer, folded the magazine pages over the contents, then stuck a bit more padding out of the end. After that, he taped the ends of the magazine together, preventing the majority of the fertilizer from falling out. He repeated that process four times before his supplies finally ran out.

"Mac, whatever you're gonna do, you'd better do it quick!" Jack urged as the bullets started flying again. "I'm running out of ammo!"

"Just get ready to run for the meet point!" MacGyver yelled over the sound of the discharging weapons. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket and lit the flame, putting it next to the extra bit of stuffing sticking out of one of the rolled up magazine pages, letting the padding act as a fuse. He tossed the item over the desk and waited. Five seconds later there was a loud _BOOM_ and the two of them heard the cries of surprise from the advancing militiamen. While there was chaos, Mac and Jack got up and started running, but not before MacGyver threw his second makeshift bomb. It exploded, giving the two Americans more time to get away.

They raced away from the run-down shed as fast as they could. Mac glanced back, pleased to see smoke coming out of the door. He turned back around, focusing his attention on getting to the drop point where they were supposed to be picked up. Another shot rang out, and this time MacGyver cried out in pain, tripping from the shock. His fingers curled around his forearm, blood seeping from between his fingers.

"Mac!" Jack stopped and hurried back for his friend.

"Jack, I'm fine, it's just a scratch! Keep going!" MacGyver insisted. He got up and kept running, pausing only to turn and throw one of the remaining two explosives, except his aim was off due to the pain in his arm. When it exploded, it was off to the left, completely harmless. MacGyver grimaced when he saw the men chasing them once again getting closer. His face was set in grim determination. Jack saw the look in his friend's eye.

"What are you thinkin', Mac?" he asked warily.

"Keep going, Jack. I'll catch up with you," MacGyver promised. Jack gave him a dubious look, and MacGyver shoved him. "Go!"

"Mac, I'm not leaving you," Jack tried insisting, but his friend turned and glared at him.

"Jack. We have to slow them down somehow. Take this," he said, handing him the thumb drive they had come for. "Get it to Riley, she's waiting at the pick-up site. I'll be there in five minutes," he promised. Jack looked torn, but he finally yanked the thumb drive away from MacGyver's hand, pointing at him sternly.

"Five minutes, or I'm coming back for you!"

Mac shoved his friend, pushing him towards the meeting point, then ran over to the cover of the trees. He bent down and yanked one of the laces off of his boots, checking to see how far away the gun-happy Cubans were. He figured he had less than two minutes before they passed him, so he worked quickly. He tied the shoelace around the bit of padding acting as a fuse, then buried the last homemade bomb, leaving the shoelace and a tiny portion of the bomb above ground. He then watched from behind a tree, waiting for the right moment to light the improvised delay-fuse.

The fire snaked along the shoelace and made it's way to the fluid-soaked padding, making the bomb explode right as the men passed over it. The blast was strong enough to throw the men in the air, but it didn't kill anyone. It simply made it easier for Mac to get the jump on them while they were disoriented.

A punch to the face took out two of the men, leaving three left. Something didn't feel right with MacGyver, but he pushed the feeling aside as he fought with the remaining men.

" _I would never tell Jack this, but this is one of those times I could really use him,"_ MacGyver thought to himself as he sidestepped a punch and delivered a blow to the man's kidneys. That persistent nagging feeling came back full force as the last man squared off with MacGyver, and Mac's eyes went wide as he realized why he had the feeling that something was wrong. There had been six men chasing him and Jack. He only saw five.

He had just realized this when he was attacked from behind. A piece of cloth was wrapped around his whole face and he breathed in instinctively as his hands shot up and tried to pry the offending fabric away from his face. A sickly sweet smell filled his nose and mouth, but he knew it wasn't chloroform. It took him a few seconds to recognize the smell, but he finally realized it was the starting fluid he had left in the shed. He knew starting fluid contained diethyl ether, which would account for the lightheadedness he was feeling at the moment.

He was released without warning, causing him to stumble forward, right into an awaiting fist. He fell to the ground, trying to squirm away from the advancing men but failing. They picked him up and threw them over one of their shoulders, then took off running. As Mac started to give into the blackness creeping in on the edge of his vision, he thought he heard Jack calling his name. He was unable to respond though, because the blackness engulfed his vision completely, and he gave into the beckoning darkness.

 _ **Bum bum bum... JK, I dunno if you guys want me to keep going? Or if I should just finish the story for myself and not post anymore? I wasn't sure how people would react to it. Lemme know!**_

 _ **Did you catch the thing from the original series? DISCLAIMER I DON'T KNOW IF IT ACTUALLY WORKS SO DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS (or anyone really...probs not the best idea...)**_

 _ **Also. Since it's a reboot and hasn't had very many episodes, I'm still trying to get a feel for the characters, so if anyone is OOC, that is why.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wow. To say I'm blown away, floored, awestruck, or thunderstruck by the attention this story has gotten would be a gross understatement. Thank you all so much!**_

 _ **Haha, I feel like I've set the bar really high now, and I'm worried that I'm gonna let you guys down... dang it!**_

 _ **For some reason, it's not posting some of the reviews on the review page. I can see that you've reviewed, but no one else can. So I'm just going to call out to everyone who reviewed!**_

 _ **iheartlife, the two guest reviewers, TheLadyBath, medicgirl, Cupid-in-disguise, SheWhoRunsMazes, and AwkwardBabyGiraffe. Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement to keep the story going! Your kind words mean so much to me!**_

 _ **I also want to give a special shoutout to Cupid-in-disguise. You, good reader, gave the kind of constructive feedback that I have been looking for. I wanted to reply to you personally, and as soon as I am able to, I will, but I just wanted to say thank you :)**_

 _ **Sorry for my long AN, I dunno if anyone even reads them XD but you're all troopers, so I decided to post the next chapter! Sorry as well, no Mac in this chapter! But next chapter, we get back to our favorite hero!**_

 _ **Usual disclaimers apply. I would love to own them, but for some reason, a college student's offer doesn't hold much water in movie/TV show universe :P**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 _ **...**_

Jack crashed through the growth, making his way towards the meet point. He came into view of the clearing, seeing the helicopter just touching down. Riley hopped out and rushed over to meet him, and he handed her the thumb drive.

"Where's Mac?" she yelled over the _fwap-fwap-fwap_ of the helicopter.

"He's coming!" Jack shouted back, not sounding very convinced. He glanced at his watch, then back towards the direction he came from. It had been over five minutes; Jack glanced at Riley. "I'll be right back!" he promised, starting to run off back towards the last place he had seen his friend. He felt a smaller hand grab his arm and he looked back at their newest team member.

"I'm coming with you!" she insisted. Jack shook his head.

"No way!" he yelled. "You don't have enough field training yet!"

"I"ve been training with Thornton," she said, clenching her hands into fists. "Besides, the longer we argue about this, the longer Mac is out there without backup!"

Jack was about to argue, but he realized she had a good point. "Fine, but you stay behind me!" he shouted as he turned around and sprinted back towards the line of trees.

Jack backtracked from where he'd come from. He came to the clearing he had left Mac in, then froze as he took in the scene playing out several hundred yards ahead of them. MacGyver was being grabbed from behind, and even though they were far away, they could see his struggling lessen. They watched as he was released, then punched in the face. He fell to the ground, then was picked up. Jack shook himself out of his stupor, running forward again, shouting his friend's name.

The Cubans looked back and sped up, increasing the distance between them and the Americans.

"Mac! MacGyver!" Jack yelled, sprinting towards their abducted friend. He vaulted over the men MacGyver had taken out, completely ignoring the unconscious men for the time being.

"Jack!" Riley shouted as they watched the men pile into a jeep and peel off, leaving them in the dust. "Jack, stop!" She had to stop, bending in half and sucking in great gulps of air. "Jack!" She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the older man finally slow to a stop, and she jogged lightly to catch up to him. By the time she reached him, the only sign they had that a jeep had been here was a slowly disappearing plume of dust and the tracks it left as it drove off.

Jack had his hands on his head and was pacing slightly, a panicked look on his face. "I shouldn't have left him," he muttered over and over. Riley placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said. "Come on, let's regroup with Thornton," she suggested. Jack looked at her incredulously.

"What are you talking about?!" He asked, almost yelling again. "We have to go after them!"

"We can't!" Riley insisted. "We don't know our way around, we have no idea where they took Mac. We're out of our element!"

Jack shook his head. "No way. I'm not leaving him here alone. I gotta find him."

Riley looked at him, and he stared back at her fiercely. She could tell this was a fight she was going to lose, so she finally shook her head in resignation. "Fine. Where do we start?"

"Get that back to Thornton," Jack said, nodding towards the flash drive still clenched in Riley's fist. "Tell her what happened."

Riley gaped at him. "You're joking right?"

"No I'm not joking. Like I said earlier, you don't have enough field practice yet, and someone's gotta let Thornton know what's going on."

"Yeah, the helicopter pilot can do that," Riley insisted. "I'm coming with you. Mac's my friend too." Jack opened his mouth and was about to argue but Riley continued, preventing him from talking. "Plus, what kind of computer knowledge do you have? You can what? Send an email? Maybe manage to open a browser and find Facebook? Admit it! You could use me out here."

Jack glared at her, but knew she had a point. "Fine. At least get the thumb drive and the message for Thornton back to the pilot."

"Ha, yeah right. We're going together, or I'm not going at all. I'm not gonna let you run off and leave me," she replied, grabbing and pulling on his arm. The two of them made their way back to the clearing, seeing the pilot on the radio with someone. The pilot caught sight of the two of them and said something urgently into the radio.

"Dalton!" He called out, holding the radio out to Jack. He grabbed the radio.

"This is Jack."

"Jack, what on earth is going on?" Thornton's voice came on over the radio.

"Ma'am, something's come up. We're sending the information we recovered back to the states, but Riley and I are staying behind."

"Why? What happened?"

"Mac's been taken," he replied bluntly. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Finally, she replied.

"I'm on my way."

Jack and Riley shared a glance, then Jack asked, "What do you want us to do until you get here?"

"I'll be there in five hours. Send the information back with the pilot, then do recon. See if you can find where they've taken MacGyver. Do NOT take any action if you find him before I get there. Keep it to surveillance," she ordered. "Don't argue with me, Jack," she added forcefully, knowing Dalton was about to insist he take action. "You can't take them on by yourself, and Riley has too little field experience. I would prefer she come back, but I know that's not going to happen, so just please. Don't do anything until I get there," she pleaded.

Jack hesitated for a minute, but finally relented. "Got it, boss. No engaging with them; strictly recon."

"I'll be there in five hours or less," Thornton repeated. "See you then."

Jack handed the radio back to the pilot, then turned to Riley. "Recon it is then. Let's go see what those men left behind can tell us."

 _ **So there you have it. Like I said in the first chapter, I'm not 100% sure on everyone's characters yet, so if anyone is OOC, my bad!**_

 _ **Hope I haven't ruined the story already XD Let me know what you guys think!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**THIS FIRST PART IN ALL CAPS CONTAINS A SLIGHT SPOILER FOR NEXT WEEK'S PROMO, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, PROBABLY DON'T READ THIS, BUT READ THE SECOND PART ON. OK OK OK OK FIRST OF ALL THAT EPISODE TONIGHT WAS FANTASTIC. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. AND CAN I JUST SAY HOW EXCITED I AM THAT THEY ARE BRINGING MURDOC INTO THIS?! I WAS SO WORRIED THEY WEREN'T GOING TO!**_

 _ **But UUUUUGGGGHHHHH Lol I swear I wrote this chapter before I watched tonight's episode and the preview for next week, so I'm going to keep the name MacGyver throws out the same, just because I thought it was clever of me, but fiiiiiine Peter Lenkov, just go ahead and ruin my fun!**_

 _ **Sorry, this is a long and very excited AN, but I thought that since I was so excited about tonight's episode I thought I would update again, even though I wasn't planning on it.**_

 _ **Shoutout to all the reviewer and followers and those who have favorited this, it means the world to me!**_

 _ **Also, someone asked when this is taking place, I don't really have a specific time, just sometime between episodes 1x01 & 1x05 ish. So before tonight's episode :)**_

 _ **Also, I edited this a little bit, but it's probably the least edited chapter that I've posted, so if you don't like it, or find mistakes, let me know :) (In a constructive way, please!)**_

 _ **No, they still don't belong to me. But maybe I could convince Lucas Till that I am single and decently pretty and we could go on dates and get to know each other? One can dream anyway.**_

 _ **Sorry again for the long note, onto the chapter! Mac is back in this chapter!**_

MacGyver woke slowly, drifting in and out until finally he opened his eyes. His head was pounding and throbbing, but he couldn't quite remember what had happened. He tried to rub his eyes with his hands, but but found that he was unable to due to the fact that they were chained above his head to a beam. In a rush, everything came back to him and his eyes snapped up, looking around him as he tried to figure out where he was. His arm was throbbing painfully from where the bullet had grazed him, but other than that and his aching head, he couldn't feel anything else physically wrong with himself. He shivered though, and he realized someone had removed his shirt, leaving him bare-chested. He noticed his shoes were missing as well.

He glanced around at his surroundings, trying to see if there was anything he could use to help get himself out of the situation he had found himself in. The room was pretty bare, completely empty except for a chair with straps on the arms, legs, and headrest, along with a metal tub in the corner. Mac had a feeling he knew what those were for, and he sincerely hoped that he could get out before his captors had the chance to use them. He also saw a wooden table sitting by the tub, but he couldn't see if anything was on it or not.

He was chained up in such a way that his toes were barely scraping the floor, putting excess pressure on his shoulders. His lungs ached as he tried and failed to take in a deep breath. There was nothing that he could see in immediate proximity that he could use to get out of the chains, but then he remembered the watch he was wearing. He knew it had a pin in it that he could use to pick the lock on the chain. He started working at his watch, but had to pause as the door was swung open, hitting the wall with a massive _BANG_.

Three men strode in. There was one man in the lead, holding an ornately decorated cane (which looked like it was more for show than anything else) while the other two men followed behind. Mac recognized the two in the back as the last two men he had fought with out in the field. The man in front he realized was the one they had stolen the information from. His name was Julio Ramirez, a massive drug kingpin and illegal weapons supplier to the US.

Ramirez stopped a few paces away from Mac, eying him with distaste. "What is your name?" he finally asked in a very thick spanish accent. There was silence as MacGyver simply stared straight ahead. The older man sighed. "Look, we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way," he offered, sounding like he would enjoy very much doing it the hard way. "What is your name?" he asked again. He was once again met with silence, though MacGyver knew that would not end well for him.

Ramirez jerked his head, and the two men converged on Mac, punching wherever they could lay a fist on. They finally backed off, revealing a panting MacGyver, bruises already showing up all over his body. "Your. Name?" Ramirez asked again, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Murdoc," MacGyver finally panted out. It was the first name that had come to his head, but the drug lord seemed to buy it, at least for the time being. Nodding in satisfaction, Ramirez asked another question.

"Who do you work for?" When MacGyver once again refused to answer, he sighed and stepped back. MacGyver braced himself for another beating, but instead of fists, he saw one of the men pull out a cattle prod. His eyes widened in shock a split-second before the electricity made contact with his skin. He couldn't help the shout of pain that ripped itself from his throat. Thankfully the object was only left on his skin for a few seconds, but the pain lingered on.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," Ramirez cautioned. "I'm done waiting for answers. Who do you work for? FBI? CIA?"

"None...of those…" MacGyver huffed out. "Just….a journalist...looking for a story." He was still twitching from the electric shock, and his lungs were crying out for more air than he was able to breathe in at the moment. The cattle prod made contact with his skin again, and MacGyver yelled, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut, trying to ride out the pain.

"Where is your friend that helped you?" questioned the drug lord. Mac shook his head.

"I was alone," he insisted. The Cuban's face darkened in anger, and he thrust one end of his cane into Mac's sternum, forcing all the air out of his body and leaving a pulsing pain behind. MacGyver didn't focus on the pain for long as Ramirez turned to his men.

"Search him," he ordered. "Find the information." The two men moved forward and patted him down, searching through his pockets trying to find the USB drive. They turned back to Ramirez.

"No está aquí," one of them said. MacGyver stared at Ramirez as the drug lord shortened the distance between them even more.

"I'm going to leave now, but when I come back, it would be in your best interest to stop lying to me," he hissed. One of the men gave him one last jolt with the cattle prod, longer than the other two had been. He gave a soft groan as the door clanged shut ominously, his body begging just to be allowed to sleep. He grimaced as he twisted around, knowing he couldn't sleep. He knew his time was limited, knew that they'd be back soon with more ideas to get him to talk. Painful ideas.

His fingers scrabbled around his watch, trying to get hold of the pin. He finally got his fingernails underneath it, tugging on it hard enough to pull it out. He finagled it into position, then inserted it into the lock. He twisted it around and wiggled it, until finally the lock on one hand popped open, dropping him halfway. He grunted in pain as his entire weight was put on his arm still strung up, but a few moments later, that lock was also unlocked, and he dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch.

He glanced around, looking for his shirt and shoes but didn't see them. He hurried over to the table, his mouth slanting in disappointment as he saw the tabletop completely empty. He opened up the drawers, rifling through the contents. There wasn't much to go on; several pieces of paper held together with a paperclip, a few pens, and a 9V battery. He prayed the battery still had juice as he gathered up the pens, paperclip and battery.

He took one of the pens and placed it against a nail on the desk, chipping away at the wood around it until one side of the nail's head was exposed. Once that happened, Mac pried at the nail until finally it wiggled so much it became loose. He pulled it out of the desk and added it to his pocket, making sure to keep it away from the battery.

He gently tried the door handle, confirming his suspicion that it was locked. He pressed his ear against the door, listening to see how many men there were guarding him. After listening for a few minutes, he cautiously decided that there were only two of them, and he went about putting his plan in motion.

Putting the battery just underneath the door, he set the nail down next to it, pushing it gently until the metal nail was touching the metal end of the battery. Once they were touching, he quickly grabbed the chair and drug it over to the wall. Then he leaned against the wall, waiting.

It didn't take long for the reaction to take place. One minute there was peace and quiet, the next there was an explosion. Mac heard shouting out in the hallway, then heard the glorious sound of a key being turned in the lock. Mac readied himself, lifting the chair up and waiting for them to come in.

The door crashed open and the two men from before crashed into the room, giving MacGyver the perfect opportunity to introduce the chair to their faces, smashing the wooden piece of furniture into multiple pieces. It was a solid two-for-one hit, dropping both of the men like stones. He quickly kicked their guns away from their unconscious forms, not wanting to take any chances. Once that was done, he made his way out of his prison.

 _ **So...what did you think? Also MURDOC! Can anyone tell I'm more than a little excited for his character being brought in?**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**You guys honestly have made me so happy with all your kind words, follows and favorites! Good news, the story is finished now, and now I just have to decide when to post the remaining chapters... :}**_

 _ **Do I honestly have to put a disclaimer on every chapter or can I just continually say that I do not, nor will I probably ever own MacGyver... *tears streaming down my face***_

 _ **Let me know if you think this first part especially is okay...**_

Jack and Riley stalked towards the men who had been left behind, who were just beginning to stir. One of them began to get to his feet and Jack ran up, grabbing the man by his lapels.

"Where'd they go, huh?" he asked, shaking the man. "Where'd your buddies run off to?" The man shook his head, babbling in Spanish and looking to his comrades for help. "Don't look at them, they can't help you!" Jack insisted, shaking the man again. "Just tell me what I wanna know!"

"No se! No se!" the man said, looking terrified. Jack was confused. He wasn't being that scary, was he?

"Riley, am I being scary?" he asked, turning to the young girl.

"More than usual? No, not really," she replied drily. Jack smirked at her and turned back to the Cuban.

"Ramirez!" the man finally said. "Kill… family!" Before Jack could reply, the man brought his arms up and around, yanking his shirt away from Jack. He worked his mouth around and chomped on something. Jack and Riley watched for a stunned moment as the man started foaming at the mouth, then collapsed to the ground.

"No!" Jack shouted as he looked at the other men. They were all working their mouths in similar movements. Jack and Riley dove for different men, trying to stop what they were doing, but one by one, they watched in anguish and anger as each man fell back to the ground, foam coming out of their mouths.

"NO!" Jack shouted again, pounding his fist into the ground repeatedly. Riley watched him, sadness in her eyes. She was upset, but she knew that Jack and MacGyver were like brothers; she couldn't even begin to imagine what Jack was going through. These men would rather take their own lives than risk the safety of their families if Ramirez ever found out they had helped Americans.

"Jack?" Riley said quietly. He had placed his forehead in his hand and was grinding the heel of his hand against his head. "Jack, I might be able to trace them via satellite or camera," she reminded him. Jack looked up at her, trying to take in what she said.

"If you think you can do that, let's give it a shot," he finally said with grim determination. Riley nodded.

"We'll need to get to town; somewhere that has wifi."

"There's a town a few miles that way," Jack indicated, pointing north. He and Riley started walking briskly towards the town. "Hang on, Mac," Jack muttered to himself. "We're comin', buddy."

 _0-0-0_

MacGyver crept along the hallway, pressing himself against a wall as tight as he could whenever he heard someone come close. He knew by all the shouting that his absence had been discovered; time was of the essence. He waited in a corner until the most recent group of men passed him, then he crept out of his hiding place, looking all around him for any signs of anyone.

He made his way through the building, finally finding an exit. He cautiously opened the door, and after seeing no one he quickly made his way out into the fresh air. He hadn't realized how musty and dank that room had been until now. His joy was short-lived though; no sooner had he gone half a dozen paces out the door then a blow to his side made him gasp in pain, taking down his defences long enough for the men who had been waiting on either side of the door to grab his arms and hold him fast. He gave a short yelp as his wound from the bullet had pressure applied to it.

A slow clap came from behind them, and MacGyver was forced to turn around and face Ramirez, who was still holding the cane. Mac realized that must have been what had hit him.

"Bravo," was all the drug lord said, still clapping slowly. "You are full of surprises, aren't you, Mr. _MacGyver_?"

MacGyver struggled against the men holding him, trying to get away, but they had a tight grip on him. One man released part of his arm to instead grab his hair, yanking his head back slightly. Ramirez advanced, grinning ferally. "Yes, I thought that would sound familiar. One of my men informed me that he heard someone yelling that name as they were fleeing," he explained. Without warning, he drove his fist in MacGyver's stomach. MacGyver's instinct was to curl in on himself, but the men holding him prevented that. He grunted as he strained against their strong grips.

"Well, since you're already down," Ramirez continued, ignoring his captive's struggles. "Why don't we move on to the next form of interrogation?" He smiled at MacGyver, then asked, "Unless you'd just like to go ahead and tell me the truth now?"

MacGyver's only response was to spit a mouthful of blood in the general direction of Ramirez, which earned him a jab to the kidneys.

"Vamos!" Ramirez said. He turned around with a flourish, walking back inside, followed by the men holding a still-struggling MacGyver following close behind.

The ice water burned his face as he struggled to lift his head up, but there was a strong hand holding his hair, shoving him further into the water. A moment later he was dragged up coughing and spluttering. His hands and feet had been tied, making it nearly impossible to make any real effort of getting away.

"Are you ready to tell the truth yet?" Ramirez asked once again. He was doing a good job of keeping his voice calm and steady, but it was beginning to show that the drug lord was losing patience. When MacGyver's answer once again came in the form of silence, Ramirez jerked his head. MacGyver barely had time to take a small breath, not nearly enough to last him more than a few seconds.

He could feel the metal tub pressing painfully into his chest as he struggled. Out of nowhere, a foot was dug into his side, making him open his mouth involuntarily, sucking in a mouthful of water. He tried to expel the water from his lungs but failed, only succeeding in drawing in more. His throat burned from the harsh cold of the water, and he started seeing black spots dance in front of his vision. He felt his struggles becoming weaker and weaker, but right as he was on the verge of giving into the blackness again he felt himself pulled up. As soon as his head broke the water's surface he coughed, forcing whatever water he could out of his body.

His ears were buzzing and his skin was tingling, but he vaguely heard Ramirez bark an order in spanish, and he was thrown to the floor. He kept his eyes shut, vicious coughs racking their way through his body as he continued to expel water. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was really only a few minutes, he lay on the floor shivering, the last of the water finally being coughed out.

His chest ached from where he had been pressed against the edge of the tub, and his throat felt raw, both from how cold the water had been, as well as the act of ridding his body of the water. He drew in slow, deep breaths, trying to calm his heart rate and breathing down.

"Levántelo," he heard Ramirez bark, and he couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips as massive hands grabbed his biceps and forearms, hauling him back to his feet. The ropes binding his hands were cut, but his arms were yanked above his head before he could even think about struggling. He felt the manacles clamp around his wrists and heard the lock click. The pressure returned to his shoulders and chest as his full body weight was once again placed on his upper body. He heard a rattle and looked down. Someone was wheeling a cart with several vials and syringes on it into the room.

MacGyver looked down as Ramirez walked to the cart, pick something up, then approach him, carrying a vial in his hands. "Do you know what this is?" The Cuban asked.

MacGyver huffed, annoyed and in pain. "No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me anyway," he snarked. Ramirez chuckled.

"I think that's the first honest answer you've given me," the drug lord commented. "This," he continued, holding up the vial to the dim light. "Is a concoction of drugs. My own design," he added proudly.

MacGyver gave one short chuckle. "Lucky me," he muttered.

Ramirez studied the vial for a moment before pulling out a syringe. "This is going to be painful," he warned the American. "We can forgo this if you simply tell me what I wish to know."

" _Just do it, tell him!"_ a voice whispered in MacGyver's mind. Mac forcefully shook his head. " _No way am I giving in,"_ he shot back at the voice.

Ramirez saw MacGyver shake his head and he shrugged. "As you wish," he said. He walked forward slowly, then quick as lightning jabbed the syringe into MacGyver's arm, depressing the contents into his bloodstream. Mac gritted his teeth as he felt the drug cocktail race through his bloodstream. It started out hot, then turned freezing cold.

It took a few moments, but gradually MacGyver began to feel the pain Ramirez had warned him about. It was an intense, shocking pain, and it was all MacGyver could do to hold his cries of anguish in. His arms began trembling as he tightened his muscles, a simple and instinctive reaction.

"This can all end if you just tell me what I want to know," cooed Ramirez

"Screw...you…" MacGyver grunted out. Ramirez shrugged.

"Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm right here," he reminded. MacGyver didn't respond, closing his eyes and digging his forehead into his shoulder and bicep, trying to distract himself from the pain.

 _ **Ok so I couldn't let Mac get of THAT easy... poor guy. I enjoy this probably more than I should...**_

 _ **Let me know what you think!**_

 _ **So sorry, I keep meaning to post the translations! (This is according to Google translate so I'm not sure how accurate it is!)**_

 _ **From last chapter: No esta aqui=It's not here**_

 _ **This chapter: Levantelo=lift it up**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**So many kind words and reviews! I love all of you!**_

 _ **So this is a reeeaaaallllllyyyy long chapter...like...super long. I just couldn't find a good place to end it, and I figured you guys wouldn't mind too terribly...**_ _ **After this, pretty sure there's only one chapter left!**_

 _ **Guess what! I still don't own them. A gal can dream though, right?**_

Jack and Riley watched as the plane door opened, revealing Patricia Thornton. She looked both deadly and dangerous as she walked down the stairs that had been rolled up to the plane's side, followed by seven men dressed in black.

"Jack, Riley," she greeted curtly as they met her halfway. "Got any news?"

"Yes ma'am," Jack replied, turning and walking with Thornton as they continued off the runway. "We believe we know where they took Mac. Riley was able to pull up some footage on a street cam, on which we found the jeep they took off in."

"I was able to track it from camera to camera throughout the town, but it disappeared after us following it for about four miles," Riley took over. "From there, Jack did some... _recon_ and found that Ramirez has a compound about ten miles east of where the last camera caught the jeep," she finished, putting emphasis on the word 'recon.' Jack looked unashamed at the implications the word had.

"And?" Thornton asked. "Were you able to scope out the compound?"

"I was able to get images of it from a satellite, but that's basically it," Riley replied.

"When we went to check it out, it was highly fortified. We decided the best course of action we could take would be to wait for you," Jack finished. "That was just over an hour ago," he added. Thornton nodded.

"Good. We'll need to see those satellite images," she addressed Riley, who nodded. "Once we know what it looks like from the top, we should be able to figure out a strategic way in."

"About that," Riley started. "I was expecting a few more agents than just seven..."

Thornton shook her head. "We can't afford to attract any more attention to ourselves than we already have," she explained. Jack nodded in agreement. "Like I said earlier Riley: I would prefer it if you weren't here," Thornton continued. "You're too green still; just try to stay back if you can help it," the director ordered. Riley nodded obediently. "Good," Thornton said, visibly relieved. "You could actually be the most help to us outside the building, monitoring things electronically."

"You want me to tell you guys who's going where, what's happening around corners, who's going where, that type of stuff?" Riley clarified. "I can definitely do that."

"Good," Thornton replied shortly. "Let's go get our man back."

 _0-0-0_

Sweat dripped down MacGyver's forehead, falling into his eyes. He blinked at the stinging from the salt water, but it was nothing compared to what his body had just gone through. His muscles ached and his body wouldn't stop twitching. Once about every fifteen-to-twenty minutes, the drug would make it's presence known once again, and MacGyver would be subjected to a few more minutes of agonizing pain. All the while, Ramirez stood by and watched.

MacGyver had just finished the latest round with the drug when alarms started blaring all over the compound, and there were shouts from outside the big metal door. Ramirez jumped, looking to the door with anger lining his features. He motioned to the men in the room and they jumped to action. One man stepped up on a stool and inserted a key in the chain's lock. The manacles popped open and MacGyver was dropped the short distance to the ground. Before hit hit the hard cement, he was caught by the man still on the ground. The second man set MacGyver down, planting his feet on the cold floor.

As soon as he was on the ground, MacGyver turned around and drove his own fist into the face of the man currently holding him, then threw his elbow back, crunching the nose of the man who had released him from the chains, who had just stepped down from the stool.

MacGyver turned around to attack Ramirez, but the man wasn't there. Mac had a split second to wonder where the drug lord had gone before he felt a sharp pain in his neck, then a warm sensation running once again through his veins.

He almost immediately collapsed to the ground, his legs hardly able to support his weight anymore. He looked up into the face of Ramirez, who held up a second syringe.

"A light dose of muscle relaxant," he informed MacGyver as the American feebly pushed himself onto all fours. His arms, legs, and torso started shaking as he held himself in that position. "Nothing too long-lasting," Ramirez promised. He motioned for the man with the broken nose to pick MacGyver up. "Vamos!"

MacGyver was hauled to his feet. He didn't even have the ability to struggle, and he was half-dragged, half-carried out the door and down the hallway. Mac heard gunfire and shouting, and he could have sworn he heard Patricia Thornton's voice amongst all the shouting. He tried raising his own voice, but the amount of noise echoing throughout the building was too loud, and his voice was lost in the din.

He was dragged out a back exit, the two men hurrying towards a jeep. Ramirez walked ahead of MacGyver and the man holding him, strides longer and longer with each step. The three of them finally reached the vehicle and MacGyver was hoisted up into the back section. He was forced into a kneeling position, then his hands were brought up to the crossbar in the back of the jeep, securing his wrists with zip-ties so that he was he was kept in the kneeling position.

The jeep started with a rumble and took off, nearly knocking Mac over as it lurched forward.

 _0-0-0_

Jack tore down one of the few hallways he hadn't been down, trying to find his friend. He turned a corner and was greeted with a thick metal door that was partially open. He crept forward, gun held up in preparation for whatever he might be met with inside.

He took a deep breath, counted to three, and then pushed the door open as hard as he could. He was greeted with an empty room, but Jack recognized a prison cell/torture chamber when he saw one. Chains hung from the ceiling, a metal tub was pushed against the far wall, and he saw several empty syringes lying on the floor. Jack hit his earpiece, connecting with Thornton.

"Jack, kinda busy here," she said crossly as she answered his call.

"I know, but listen: I think I found where they were keeping Mac, but they-"

"Were?" she interrupted.

"Yeah 'were.' I was going to say he's not here anymore."

"Well where did they go? Where did they take him?" Thornton asked.

"I got him!" Riley's voice chimed in over the com link. "He's been taken to a jeep out back, just northeast of your position, Jack!" she told them.

"I'm on my way," Jack replied, rushing out the door.

"You'll never make it in time," Riley said, starting to sound a little more frantic as she continued. "They're starting to drive off!"

"We gotta stop 'em somehow!" Jack exclaimed, increasing his speed even more, bursting through the door Riley had told him about. He watched as the jeep started rolling away. He could see Mac in the back section, arms secured to the crossbar above his head. Jack knew that he couldn't fire at them without the possibility of hitting his friend. He decided to aim for the tires instead, emptying his clip in the process, but to no avail. The jeep continued to move out of sight. "Riley, please tell me you got something?" he asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

"Hang on, hang on…" Riley muttered. "Got it!" she finally exclaimed. Jack heard the rumble of a starting engine.

"Riley, what are you doing?" he asked, slightly scared that the girl was about to start a car chase with the Cuban drug lord who had kidnapped their friend.

"Don't worry, I got this," she assured him. Jack was not convinced.

"Riley, you can't chase them!" he insisted. "Wait for Thornton or I to get to you at least," he added as he started running.

"No time to wait, Jack," Riley said. "And besides," she added. "Who said anything about a chase?"

 _0-0-0_

Riley put the jeep into drive and pressed down on the gas, heading straight for an intersecting collision course. She saw the other vehicle speeding in her general direction, and at the last minute she pressed on the gas again, putting her vehicle in the way of the oncoming jeep. She jumped out at the last second, narrowly avoiding the t-bone wreck.

She coughed as she lifted her head up from the grass, chest aching slightly from the way she had landed. There was smoke coming from the two vehicles, but she couldn't see anyone in the front seats of the one Ramirez had been driving. The only thing she heard for the next few moments was silence and she started to push herself up, relieved that they had finally won; then the cocking of a gun made her blood run cold.

 _0-0-0_

MacGyver's head rested on his arms, barely registering the pressure the position was putting on his bound limbs. Suddenly he heard the frantic shouting of the two men up front, but he didn't have the time to look up and over before there was a sudden jerk, and Mac was thrown forward.

He probably would have sailed out of the vehicle in all honesty if he hadn't been tied to the crossbar, but that didn't mean his bound wrists didn't suffer excruciating agony as he was thrown around. Finally, everything stood still.

MacGyver groaned as he struggled to right himself. The muscle relaxant was still in his system, but he seemed to be gaining a little bit of mobility back. He looked up at his wrists, seeing blood drip down them as the zipties dug into his flesh, already abused by his time spent in the manacles.

He heard someone crashing through the vegetation and he looked up, relief flowing through him as he saw Jack running his way. The relief was short lived though as a strong grip latched onto his hair and yanked his head back, exposing the underside of his chin. Upside down, he saw Ramirez staring ahead of them. Mac felt a cold piece of metal press against his chin, and then a click told Mac that a gun had just been cocked. His captor spoke.

"Do not come any closer if you wish your friend to survive," Ramirez warned. MacGyver heard Jack immediately stop running.

"MacGyver!" He heard Thornton yell.

"Whoah Pat, stop!" Jack insisted. MacGyver could almost see Jack holding out his arm to stop their boss.

"That's right," Ramirez crowed victoriously. "One more step from any of you or your men and I pull this trigger."

MacGyver felt the muzzle of the gun press even harder under his chin. "Listen," he heard Jack call out. "Nothing has to get messy. Just give us our man and we'll leave. You've clearly had your fun," he added, and MacGyver could hear the anger in his friend's voice.

"As tempting as your offer sounds," Ramirez replied. "I think I'm going to have to say no."

"Oh yeah?" a came a voice from behind them. "Try saying no to this!" There was a thud and suddenly the grip of both the hand holding the gun and the hand holding Mac's hair slackened, and MacGyver heard the thud of a body falling behind him. He sagged, partially in relief but also because he didn't have the energy to hold himself up anymore. He barely registered the pain from his wrists, and his eyes started to flutter closed.

 _0-0-0_

As Jack ran towards the jeep, he heard the sound of a crash and his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. A few moments later he resumed his running, heading towards the smoke he saw drifting into the sky.

He came to the scene of the wreck, one vehicle having ploughed into the other. He didn't see any sign of Riley, but he did see MacGyver blearily gazing at him. Jack's blood froze as Ramirez came up behind his friend and pulled Mac's head back, pressing a gun under his chin.

"Do not come any closer if you wish your friend to survive."

Jack immediately stopped running, holding his hands out in a peaceful gesture. Jack heard someone else running behind him and he turned and looked, throwing out his arm as Patricia raced towards them. "Whoah Pat, stop!" he cried. She crashed into his arm, but did halt. She had to hold Jack's arm to prevent herself from running forward as she stared at the drug lord with hatred in her eyes. Jack glanced back and saw that several of the backup Thornton had brought were coming up behind them as well, but they stopped as Jack held up his hand in a fist.

"That's right," the drug lord crooned. "One more step from any of you or your men and I pull this trigger."

"Listen," Jack called out, trying to keep a level tone of voice. "Nothing has to get messy. Just give us our man and we'll leave. You've clearly had your fun," he added angrily as he briefly glimpsed the visible wounds on MacGyver's body.

"As tempting as your offer sounds," Ramirez replied. "I think I'm going to have to say no."

Jack was about to reply, but he saw Riley's curly black head suddenly appear behind the drug lord. "Oh yeah?" he heard her ask. "Try saying no to this!" He watched with pride as she raised a thick piece of wood and connected it with the back of Ramirez's head. The Cuban dropped like a stone, releasing MacGyver. As soon as the Cuban started falling, Jack ran forward, Patricia close on his heels.

He reached his friend as Mac's eyes started closing. Jack knew he had to get Mac down as fast as he could.

 _0-0-0_

"Hey Mac!" a worried voice came from above him. Someone lifted him up and he felt another pair of hands cut through the zipties binding his wrists.

Frantically MacGyver struggled, his tired and drug-induced mind's fight or flight instinct kicking in. He tried to throw a punch at whoever was holding him as soon as his wrists were released, but a strong hand gently stopped it, the hand wrapping gently but firmly over his fist.

"Mac, it's me, it's Jack!" he heard the voice say. He stopped struggling, realizing he actually did recognize that voice.

"Jack?" he asked scratchily, opening his eyes and looking up into the face of his friend.

"Hey buddy," Jack grinned, glad to see MacGyver recognized him.

"Come on, we gotta get him out of here," Mac heard Thornton say.

"Can you walk buddy?" Jack asked as they stood up. MacGyver weakly nodded, but as soon as he tried to take a step, even with his arm around Jack's shoulder, he stumbled. "Hey, it's alright," Jack said. "I've got you. Let's just take it easy, okay?" Everyone made their way back from where they'd come, several of the men restraining Ramirez. Jack walked slowly with MacGyver, supporting his friend every step of the way.

"Nice hit, by the way Riley," Thornton said. Mac looked over to see their hacker grin smugly, and he realized it had been her to take out Ramirez.

"Yeah it was, wasn't it?" she smirked. "It's been awhile since I played softball, but looks like I still got what it takes to hit a homerun." Everyone chuckled at that comment.

After about ten minutes of slow, painful walking for MacGyver, the group finally reached the front of the compound where an SUV was waiting to drive them back to the airstrip.

As they boarded the plane, Jack led MacGyver to one of the seats and helped ease him down, then hurried to grab a first aid kit to help patch his friend up as best he could. He hardly paid any attention to Ramirez as he was secured to his seat, guarded by several of the Phoenix agents.

MacGyver sat there, his hands lying limply in his lap. He had gained back most of his muscle control finally, but the toll of the last few hours was finally catching up to him and he was simply exhausted. Jack came back and sat in the seat across from him, perching on the front edge of the seat so he could reach MacGyver easier.

"Here," he said, holding up some antibacterial cream. He gently spread the cream over the abrasions on his friend's wrists. Mac hissed as it stung the wounds, but allowed Jack to continue. "Oh man," Jack muttered as he really took in his friend's wounds for the first time.

There was the bullet graze on Mac's bicep from before MacGyver got captured that hadn't been wrapped yet; Jack didn't like the red, irritated skin surrounding the wound, indicating an infection. Jack knew it needed to be taken care of soon, but he decided to see what other injuries there were before he did anything else.

There were bruises all over his torso, including a long impression on his chest where it looked like he was pressed against something hard for an extended period of time. Jack remembered seeing the tub in that prison cell and his own chest began to ache in sympathy for his friend. Jack also saw one of Mac's eyes was slightly swollen. There were cuts on his cheeks that look like abrasions from rings, and Jack didn't fail to notice the burn marks peppering his friend's chest as well. He growled quietly as he began taking care of the wounds, wrapping and bandaging, as well as applying salve to different wounds.

MacGyver felt the plane start to move forward, gaining speed as it raced down the runway. He gently leaned back in his seat as it lifted off the ground and he closed his eyes, glad that they were leaving Cuba. He vaguely heard Jack talking; he wasn't sure if it was directed at him or not, but he didn't care. Just knowing that he was surrounded by friends was enough to help him relax.

He had only been relaxing for a few minutes though when he felt a massive surge of pain go through his body, starting at his shoulders and making it's way all the way down to his feet. He clenched all his muscles and screamed in pain, jerking back on the seat.

 _0-0-0_

Jack had been talking to his friend, simply trying to give him a comforting, somewhat annoying voice to listen to. He was making as many '80's references as he could, and he grinned in satisfaction as he saw Mac smile and shake his head slightly. Thornton had banned him from singing on the plane, but as long as he could get Mac to keep smiling, he didn't care.

Suddenly his friend tensed and yelled, falling back into his seat and spasming. "Mac?!" Jack asked frantically, switching seats so he was sitting next to his friend instead of across from him. "Mac!" he almost shouted.

"What's happening?" Riley asked as she hurried over to the two men. As soon as she heard Mac's yell, she had jumped out of her seat. Thornton followed closely behind the hacker, looking just as worried.

"I don't know, he just started seizing!" Jack informed them. They heard a chuckle coming from the rear of the plane where Ramirez was sitting. Jack's eyes got a murderous glint in them. "Riley, hold Mac; make sure he doesn't hurt himself," he barked as he stood up. He stalked towards the drug lord, stopping in front of him. "What did you do?" he asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

"I'm surprised; for the dose I gave him, it's lasted longer than I ever thought it would," the Cuban chuckled.

"Dose? Dose of what? How do we stop it?" Jack asked, his anger only growing as the drug lord's laughing increased.

"No se," Ramirez chuckled. "It's the first time I've tried that specific mix of drugs. I am just as curious as you are to see where it goes," he added. Jack clenched his fists, trying his very hardest to not slug the drug lord. Yet.

"What. Did. You put. In him?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I just can't remember," the man replied, looking up at Jack with contempt and smugness. Without wasting another second, Jack's fist came out of nowhere and punched the Cuban in the jaw. The drug lord let out a string of curses, fighting the agents who were watching him as he tried to stand up and lunge at Jack.

"Eres un hombre muerto!" he shouted, spit flying from his lips. He looked to Thornton, who had just come up behind Jack. "Your man has no right to treat me like this!" he raged. "I demand that you take disciplinary action!"

Thornton stared at the man coldly. "I'm sorry, I didn't see anything. Did you men?" she asked, looking at Ramirez's guards. They all shook their heads. She looked back to Ramirez, shrugging. "Sorry. None of us saw anything."

Ramirez ground his teeth together, growling out threats in Spanish, but they fell on deaf ears as Jack and Thornton turned to go back to MacGyver. Riley had shoved the armrest of the seat up and laid Mac down, resting his head on her lap. She looked up at the two as they approached.

"He just passed out," she informed them. "He's got a pretty bad fever too." Thornton leaned down and pressed the back of her hand onto the agent's forehead, nodding in confirmation as she felt his hot skin. Jack rummaged through the first-aid kit and grabbed a bottle of Tylenol, popping it open and pouring two into his palm.

"Jack, wait," Thornton said, holding out her hand. "We don't know what drugs Ramirez has pumped in his system!"

"Pat, it's Tylenol," Jack said with a "duh" tone. "It'll help with the pain and the fever until we can get him properly cared for!"

Thornton looked like she wanted to argue, but shut her mouth instead, giving her silent consent to give Mac the pills. Jack nudged his friend gently.

"Mac?" he asked quietly. When he got no answer, he nudged him again. "Mac? C'mon buddy, we gotta get these pills in you," he coaxed. MacGyver groaned and shifted, slowly opening his eyes.

His gaze wandered around as he tried to remember where he was, but he visibly relaxed when he saw Riley, Thornton and Jack above him. "Wh...What happened?" he asked.

"You passed out, man," Jack told him. MacGyver's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember what had happened before that. "Mac, you looked like you were in pain before you dropped," Jack reminded him.

"Oh…" was all Mac said. He remembered now, but he didn't want to think about it. Jack gently shook his shoulder.

"Come on, sit up for just a minute," he requested. Jack helped MacGyver sit up slowly so the dizziness would be lessened. Next, Jack held out a water bottle and the two pills. MacGyver took them and swallowed them, taking small sips of water as he did so. Once he had taken the pills, Thornton looked at him.

"You look tired, Mac," she stated. "Try and get some sleep. We're still a few hours away from home." With that she turned and walked towards the front of the plane. Mac leaned his seat back as far as it would go, fully intending to take his boss's advice. Airplane seats are not the most comfortable beds though, and he spent the next few minutes shifting slowly, trying to find a comfortable position to lay in that didn't aggravate his injuries.

Riley finally tapped him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Come on," she said, motioning for her lap. "You seemed to be okay laying here when you were blacked out, so give it a shot."

Mac wanted to say no, but first of all, he was so tired he was willing to try anything. Second, the look in Riley's eyes told him she wasn't going to take no for an answer. He gingerly shifted in her direction and laid down, his head once again resting on her lap. He was out within thirty seconds.

 _ **Like I said, super duper long. What did you guys think? I think I'm okay writing the hurt/whump part of stories, but I never know how my comfort section is... :P I'm so worried that I'm gonna let y'all down XD Don't hate me if it disappoints! *Covers face with hands***_

 _ **Eres un hombre muerto: You're a dead man-according to google translate :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello! Welcome to the last chapter of my first MacGyver fic! I hope you've enjoyed the ride, cuz I know I have ;)**_

 _ **Hey** **Tamuril2, how does this work for fast?! ;)**_

 _ **I hope the comfort part lives up to expectations, if not I'm so sorry, I think I'm not the best at writing it... XD**_

 _ **So I have a few ideas for some more stories, including a sequel to this story. I'm going to take my time with the sequel though, because I don't want to have it fall flat on it's face after so many of you have said so many kind things about this one! I don't want to disappoint :)**_

 _ **I'll start working on other stories I have in mind as well, but if any of you have any ideas you want to see done, let me know what they are and I'll see if I can do something with whatever prompt you give me :)**_

 _ **PS, I swear I had this written before "Can Opener" aired! XD I was shocked at how similar they were in some aspects... I swear it was written before Friday, I've just been polishing it up!**_

 _ **Nope. Still not mine.**_

Four Days Later

Mac shuffled around his hospital room, gathering up the few personal items he had and stuffed them in his bag. Jack was going to be there any minute to pick him up and finally take him home.

It had taken fourteen hours to completely flush the drugs out of his system, but they finally succeeded. Most of his bruises had turned the ugly yellow-brown color and were disappearing, and his eye was back down to a normal size. His chest still ached, both because of the whacks from the cane and from being pressed against the metal tub. " _Just don't go around chest bumping anyone and you'll be okay,"_ he thought to himself sarcastically. The doctors told him his sternum had been slightly cracked, and they said it would take six-to-twelve weeks to heal, but as long as he took it easy he should be fine.

One of the things that had concerned the doctors the most after they got the drugs out of his system were his wrists. The manacles had been old and rusty, and they did a good job of tearing up his flesh, then the zipties had simply aggravated and deepened the wounds. By the time they had gotten back to the States and to the hospital, his wrists had become infected, despite the cream Jack had applied. The doctors had given him some pretty heavy antibiotics to take to fight off the infection and had wrapped his wrists heavily, warning him not to scratch them as they healed. Mac was glad that his wrists were under so many layers of bandages, because they were starting to itch like crazy and it was taking everything he had not to scratch them.

There was a knock on the door and Mac turned around to see Jack leaning against the doorframe. "Hey kid," the older man said with a smile.

"Hey," MacGyver responded, smiling back at his friend. Jack had been in the hospital with him almost all day, every single day. The only times Jack had left was to grab both of them food, and when MacGyver forced him to go home and sleep.

"You ready to get out of here?" Jack asked as he grabbed Mac's bag.

"Definitely," MacGyver agreed. He followed Jack out the door and they got in the elevator. As the sliding doors closed, Jack looked over at his friend, who was leaning against the rear wall of the elevator with his arms folded, uncharacteristically quiet. Jack nudged his arm, being careful to avoid the wrapped bullet wound on Mac's bicep.

"Hey, you okay man?" he asked. MacGyver nodded, but Jack wasn't convinced. "Come on Mac. I don't even think that nod convinced _you_ that you're okay!"

MacGyver chuckled quietly. "I'll be fine, Jack," he finally said, looking up at his friend and smiled what Jack assumed was supposed to be a reassuring smile.

"I know you'll _be_ fine, meaning in the future, but I'm talking about here and now, the present. You know I'm here for you, right?" Jack asked, not breaking eye contact. MacGyver nodded again.

"I know Jack. It's what makes you such a good friend," Mac replied with complete sincerity.

"I know," Jack said smugly. "What would you do without me?" MacGyver smiled and shrugged, holding his hands out in an 'I have no idea' gesture. Jack winked. "Exactly. Now that that's cleared up, let's get some food. I'll even pay for you this time," he added as an extra incentive, waggling his eyebrows. MacGyver laughed and raised his eyebrows, nodding.

"You're paying!" he re-stated, pointing at his friend as the elevator doors opened. Jack held out his arms.

"You doubt me?" he asked incredulously, pretending to be hurt.

"I don't doubt you my friend; just your wallet!" Mac winked as the two of them walked out to Jack's car, their light banter echoing throughout the parking garage.

Two weeks after Cuba

MacGyver stepped out of his car and shut the door, gazing up at the courthouse. He fiddled with his tie and straightened his jacket, then walked up the steps and into the building.

He walked into the courtroom, taking a seat on one of the back benches next to Jack, who clapped a hand on his shoulder. He saw Ramirez sitting up at the front, and he watched as the drug lord turned, looking around the courtroom until his eyes finally landed on MacGyver. Hate welled in the Cuban's eyes, and he stared at the young man for several moments before turning his attention back to the front of the room.

MacGyver watched the trial's proceedings, and as soon as it was done he stood up. Ramirez had been officially charged and was going to be in federal prison for a long time.

As Ramirez was marched past his bench in handcuffs, the Cuban broke free of his guards and lunged at MacGyver, bowling into him and knocking him back down. There was chaos in the courtroom as people tried to pry Ramirez off MacGyver. The Cuban resisted just long enough to lean over and hiss in Mac's ear. "I still have friends, MacGyver. I promise this isn't the last you'll see of me!"

Mac winced and rubbed his chest as Ramirez was finally yanked off of him. " _So much for taking it easy and not having my sternum become more damaged,"_ he thought to himself as he watched the drug lord being physically dragged out of the room, all the while shouting at MacGyver in spanish. "Te veré pronto, MacGyver! Te veré pronto!"

Mac waved off everyone who was asking if he was alright, muttering that he was fine. He felt Jack's hand protectively resting on his shoulder, and for that he was grateful. He could still hear the angry shouts of the drug lord from down the hallway, until they finally got him outside and dragged him to the waiting government transport vehicle.

*Later that day, MacGyver's home*

"Hey," Jack said as he sat down next to MacGyver on his couch. "You okay?"

MacGyver looked at his friend, giving a small smile as he nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Mmhmmm," Jack said, not believing Mac for an instant. "Again with the 'I'll _be_.' What happened at the courthouse would have rattled anyone, kid."

"I know," Mac said quietly.

"So what's up? What did he say to you?"

"It's nothing," MacGyver tried insisting. He made the mistake of looking at Jack, who was giving him the worst evil-eyed stare he could muster. Despite the seriousness of the conversation topic, MacGyver couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his mouth when he saw his friend's expression. "Alright, alright! He just pointed out that we weren't able to catch all his men, and that he still has friends in the world. He said he'd be seeing me soon," he explained.

"And you're worried he's gonna come after you again?" Jack asked. "That's completely normal Mac, but don't worry. I'm not gonna let-"

"It's not me I'm worried about, Jack," MacGyver interrupted, staring pointedly at his friend.

"What, me?" Jack asked, almost incredulously. Mac didn't drop his serious gaze; he simply continued to stare at the older man.

"Just promise me you'll be careful?" MacGyver finally asked. Jack shoved him gently in the shoulder.

"'Course I'll be careful, kid," he promised. "Besides, if I died, who would be here to kick your trash in karaoke?" MacGyver laughed again, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not going to do karaoke with you Jack!" he stated firmly. He couldn't keep a straight face for long though. Soon he was smiling and laughing as Jack argued his point.

"But Mac," Jack said, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "What if I die and you hadn't even given me the chance to prove that I am the karaoke king?"

MacGyver rolled his eyes and shook his head as Jack continued talking. " _I guess if Ramirez does escape,"_ he thought to himself. " _we'll worry about it then. For now, the best thing to do is live in the present, and not worry about what might or might not happen."_

 ** _So there you go...what did you think? Terrible way to end the story? Did you love it? Was it too cheesy? Should there have been more cheese? I kinda feel like the ending was rushed...thoughts?_**

 ** _**Te Vere pronto, MacGyver=I'll see you soon, MacGyver! ***According to google translate_**


End file.
